Local Barber Shop Forced To Close After Exploding Main Cable Poses Fire Risk

Razors Barber Shop, was forced to close temporarily following a dangerous incident involving an exploding main electrical cable. The incident occurred early morning on Tuesday 19th November, just as they were preparing to open for the day.
“As I arrived for work, Chris told me there had been an extremely loud bang down in the cellar, although all the power was still on. I lifted the cellar hatch and smoke started to come into the shop. I dropped the hatch and closed off the vents at the front of the shop, and called 999. They arrived in minutes and were amazing. By the time they arrived, we had evacuated the shop and the flat above and were keeping a safe distance.
Firefighters and electrical engineers identified the source of the explosion as a deteriorating main cable, which had been under strain due to an aging infrastructure and the extremely cold weather.
While thankfully no fire broke out, following their inspection, they deemed the building unsafe for further operations until extensive repairs could be carried out by National Grid.
Speaking to the Stn, shop owner Steve Wigg expressed his concern over the sudden closure. “This shop has been part of the community for 30 years and it’s devastating to think that something so out of our control could put it all at risk.” he said. “We hope to reopen very soon, but right now, our priority is making sure everyone stays safe.”
Local residents rallied around the shop, and Kyle at Hubbard Hair came to the rescue and offered the use of his shop until the work could be carried out. “Once again the community stepped up and helped out, and we were able to carry on our appointment from around lunchtime” Steve said. “For that I will be ever grateful.”
Utility company representatives carried out the repair work overnight, to restore the power safely. This allowed Steve to reopen the shop on the Thursday morning.
For now, the incident at Razors Barber Shop serves as a sombre reminder of the importance of maintaining public infrastructure and ensuring the safety of cherished local businesses.